whom he paid tribute, now became king over the tribe of Judah in the
south.


DAVID AS A LEADER

David was a born leader. Physically he was an athlete. With his sling
he could throw stones straight, as Goliath, the Philistine giant,
discovered to his sorrow. He had the gift of winning friends, even
among those who might naturally have been his enemies, for example
Jonathan and Michal, son and daughter of Saul, and Achish, the
Philistine king. His followers with few exceptions were deeply devoted
to him, risking their lives, sometimes, to gratify his slightest wish.
He was wise in his dealings with men, knowing when to be stern and
when to be lenient.

=The nation united under David.=--For a few years there was more or
less of war between the followers of David and the followers of
Ishbaal. David did not like this war. He had no heart for fighting his
own kinsmen, the people of the north. His method was to win them over
without conquest. His chief difficulty in this was to restrain his own
followers. Fighting always leads to more fighting. A bitter personal
feud flamed up between Joab, David's chief general, and Abner, who
was the real power in the other kingdom. David did not dare to punish
Joab, yet he plainly showed his displeasure. When finally Ishbaal
himself was murdered in his sleep, David put the assassins to death.

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| [Illustration: CANAANITE CHISEL (BRONZE)] |
| |